Review of Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) by Antony W — 17 Mar 2011

Once Upon a Time in the West should have been the definitive western. Originally, the film was cut down about twenty minutes because people wanted a riveting and straight-forward shoot-em-up western. Some people didn't really care for that version, and the film wasn't remembered all that much. I watched the uncut version, and honestly, saying that that version is a glorious masterpiece is an understatement. It takes what was already set up in the spaghetti western genre by The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (by the same director, Sergio Leone) and takes it all in a more serious direction. It's moving, it's thrilling.... It's one of the few films to come closer to cinematic perfection than most others. Every actor plays his or her part to its full potential, whether Claudia Cardinale plays a whore with a heart, Charles Bronson plays a badass hero that would bring Clint Eastwood to his knees, or Henry Fonda plays one of the most intimidating killers of all time (let alone the old west). Each of these characters are given definitive and memorable pieces of the score, and I swear to god, I'll be hearing that harmonica playing in my sleep for at least the next month or so. The cinematography is fantastic, mostly due to some beautiful locations chosen for the film.

Once Upon a Time in the West is right up there with Schindler's List. It's the cream of the crop for westerns, and it should be remembered as such.